MAF Receives Funding For Fire Ants Surveillance

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has
received special funding of $1.1 million for a programme of
targeted surveillance activities for Fire Ants.

Amelia
Pascoe, MAF programme coordinator, says the Government
funding will allow targeted surveillance at New Zealand's
international ports of entry and surrounding land over the
summer period as well as a public information campaign.

The aim of the surveillance is to confirm that ants at the
known incursion site (Auckland International Airport) have
been eradicated and to ensure no colonies have established
at other sites. Targeted areas will include sites where
containers are unpacked. The programme will include visual
surveillance, pit fall traps and laying baited ground traps.

Once established Fire Ants are highly invasive and
have the potential to be a serious pest capable of causing
widespread harm to the environment, public health, urban
areas and primary production at a cost of millions of
dollars.

"Since the detection and destruction of a
single nest of Fire Ants at Auckland International Airport
in February there have been no further finds. However, we
know from our Australian counterparts who are spending more
than A$120 million in an attempt to eradicate Fire Ants in
Queensland, that we need to be as vigilant as possible.

It is extremely difficult for someone to distinguish Fire
Ants from a New Zealand ant simply by looking at them. A
telltale sign of an outdoors infestation by Fire Ants is the
appearance of small mounds after wet weather.

Fire
Ants are a serious pest known for their aggressive behaviour
when disturbed. They will defend their nest by swarming
around it and unlike any other ant in New Zealand they can
give a painful sting which will cause intense itching
followed by the formation of distinct pustules (or
blisters). Anyone who suspects they have been stung by Fire
Ants and believe they are having an allergic reaction should
seek medical advice.

More information is available on
the MAF website at www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity

Additional informationTo report a suspected finding of
Fire Ants call the MAF Exotic Pest Hotline on 0800 809 966.
Note: Callers will be asked a number of questions
relating to the find. Based on these results calls are
ranked as High Risk (close match with Fire Ants), Low Risk
(unlikely to be Fire Ants, but can't be ruled out) and
Negligible Risk (highly unlikely to be Fire Ants). Callers
will be asked to leave contact details and the 0800
operators will notify MAF staff or a MAF contractor who will
aim to contact the caller on the next working day.

·
Undisturbed mounds would typically be found in open, sunny
spaces and can be up to 45 centimetres high and 60
centimetres in diameter. However, mounds will vary
significantly in appearance and in size depending on the
substrate in which they are formed. Pictures of typical
mounds can be viewed at www.maf.govt.nz/fire-ants

·
Colonies of Fire Ants can contain from 10-100 queens that
lay up to 800 eggs per day. Colony reproduction usually
occurs after a rain event when temperatures are warm (20+
Celsius). After swarming the mated queens drop to the ground
and begin burrowing to start a new colony. In some cases
ants may start a new nest by walking short distances from an
existing colony. This often occurs following disturbance of
a nest, so care should be taken by people not to disturb
suspect nests.

· Established colonies of Fire Ants were
detected in Brisbane, Queensland in February of this year.
For details about the Fire Ants eradication programme in
Queensland visit the following website:
www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fireants/

In response to the challenges facing Scoop and the media industry we’ve instituted an Ethical Paywall to keep the news freely available to the public.
People who use Scoop for work need to be licensed through a ScoopPro subscription under this model, they also get access to exclusive news tools.

New Zealand’s successful bid to host the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup will raise the profile of the game locally and provide a valuable economic boost for the game, Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson says. More>>

ALSO:

Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony may be one of the least well-known of its ilk, but Edo de Waart and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra made a compelling case for a reassessment. They showed us a work of immense variety, surprising contrast and delicate shades of light and dark. More>>

Scotch-born singer-songwriter David Byrne starts each show on his latest world tour stroking a pink brain as he sits alone at a table in a gray three-button Kenzo suit singing a song called Here from his latest album American Utopia.More>>

The response was more muted amongst our soldiers at the Front. Many received the news quietly... There was no cheering. The chaps didn’t get excited. It was just a matter of relief. We didn’t celebrate at all.More>>

Building on a huge 2018 programme that saw 492 creatives take 81 events for ventures around the city for a total of 347 performances, Auckland Fringe returns this summer, running February 19 – March 3, 2019. More>>